My 11 year old granddaughter just diagnosed.

I joined this group because of my newly diagnosed granddaughter to learn all I can to understand this disease and to make sure she is getting the proper care. She is 11.

She fell sick Thursday into Friday with increasing complaints: sore throat, aches and pains, nausea, vomiting, earache, fever, swollen lymph nodes, stiff neck and a rash. Her mother took her to the doctor on Saturday, but they got home forgetting to mention the rash on her back. By Sunday she made her bed on the bathroom floor she was so nauseated. Then her fever spiked (103) and she became dehydrated. Her mom took her to the emergency room where they put her into a room to hydrate her and give her anti nausea meds intravenously. While being hydrated she got Bells palsy, and all the doctors said "Lyme Disease" and put her on 500mg Ampicillin 3 X a day. She felt much better quickly,but not for long. On Monday evening the nausea returned. Now her problem was not eating. On Tuesday she was prescribed anti nausea pills.

I only found out about this on Monday afternoon, but it wasn't till late that night that I started researching online. Then I was starting to panic. I had no idea how horrible this disease is. Worry.

Now it is Wednesday. I talked to her for a long time. She is able to eat and her symptoms have mostly gone away. She was very up and happy, ready to enjoy the summer. But will this be the end? Is it possible that by catching it early, she will be spared the chronic Lyme disease? Should I wonder if her doctors are qualified in this disease? Any help would be so appreciated. Thanks, Marty

Welcome, Marty. I'm glad your granddaughter is feeling better. I would definitely look for a lyme literate doctor. Most LLMD's continue to treat the lyme disease for 2 months after symptoms go away. This is a much longer treatment than most conventional doctors prescribe.

Thank you for the welcome. Her parents think she may have been bitten a few days before when she was with family and friends, and she and her friends were rolling down a lawn into tall grass. But no idea really, because she never knew she was even bitten until diagnosed. She has an upcoming appointment with an infectious disease specialist at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. Her pediatrician referred her to a Lyme disease specialist doctor but they don't take any kids. Does anyone think this will be a problem? Besides taking antibiotics long enough, anything else?

Thanks Beth.
I'll forward this information to her mother.
I'm sorry about the ordeal you went through. Your initial exposure - were you treated quickly but under treated? Was that 2007? And your doctor knew it was Lyme disease? From what I've read so many people then were not helped because doctors had never seen it and weren't looking for it.

So if my granddaughter takes her meds for 2 months, gets probiotics to help with losing good bacteria (antibiotics gave me yeast infections), she could still run into trouble years later?

Thanks again so much, Beth. I am feeling very much relieved.